Conjunto:Spanish
for ensemble or group, refers to a specific Tejano musical group whose
principal instruments are the button accordion and the 12 string bajo
sexto.

Aztlan:translated
from the Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, means "the place of whiteness,"
and according to the Codex Boturini, it is the original Aztec homeland.
It was from Aztlan, somewhere in the Southwestern United States, that the
Azteka-Mexica set out, in the year one flint (1064 A.D.), on a sacred journey
that lasted about three hundred years and culminated in the founding of
Mexico-Tenochitlan (now Mexico City). The Chicano Movement, in an expression
of self-determination and reaffirmation of a heritage culturally and spiritually
linked to the original/native people of this continent, embraced the concept
of Aztlan as our homeland.

Conjunto
Aztlan represents
a spiritual and musical journey expressed through poetry and song. The
Conjunto was born of the Xicano Movement in Austin, Texas, in 1977. Through
the last decades, it has gone through several periods of activity and various
configurations but it has remained alive and steadfast in its purpose:
to celebrate, defend, and expand the musical, cultural, and spiritual legacy
of the Chicano people.

Through the
years, the group has attracted a large number of talented musicians and
songwriters who have performed with the conjunto in places as diverse as
a Brown Beret political rally in Austin and a gathering of East Coast Chicano
law students at Harvard. The repertoire and instrumentation have varied,
but certian element have remained constant: the Tejano button accordion,
two- and three-part harmonies, and original songs with politically, culturally,
and socially conscious lyrics in English and Spanish.

Currently,
Aztlan is in
many respects a traditional conjunto, utilizing typical conjunto instrumentation
(button accordion, bajo sexto, bass and drums) and playing typical conjunto
music (polkas, valses, cumbias, boleros, canciones rancheras). It
is also non-traditional; many of the song lyrics differ in theme from those
of the usual conjunto, and their repetoire includes indigenous rhythms,
salsa, oldies, rockabilly and reggae-cajun-zydeco. Conjunto
Aztlancontinues
to deliver música del movimiento chicano, as well as
the more traditional compositions La Raza has grown to expect.

This first
Conjunto Aztlan
CD, an homage to the movimiento chicano, has been a long time in
the making. It has been a long journey. But to quote José Alfredo
Jimenez: "No hay que llegar primero, pero hay que saber llegar."